Wreck of a China Trader.

Southland Times, Issue 13284, 9 August 1895, Page 2

Wreck of a China Trader.

I '■ •. SIXTY LIVES LOST. . United Press Association—By Electric ; ; Telegraph—Copyright.] , Sydney, Aug, 8. Received Bth, 10 p.m. The steamer Catterthun, 1406 tons,struck on the Seal Rocks at 2.30 this morning, and foundered in 15 minutes. I ’' ' ' ' ■ Received'Bih, 8 p.m. Boats from the wreck which reached Forster contained 30 Chinese, including 16 of the crew, and the following Europeans :— Dr Copeman, A. W. Laugfear (second mate), ' Mr Crane, and Captain Fraser (the coastal pilot). Other boats, containing the captain of the steamer and other officers are missing. ’ The Catterthun left Sydney last night for China via way ’ports' in charge of Captain Neil Shannon and the following officers :— W. P. Pinney, Langfear, Harold Leffler, Ist, 2nd, and 3rd, officers; H. Anderson, surgeon ; J. H. Harper, F. Wilson, J. W. Adams, and A. Wolsterhohne, chief, second, third, and fourth engineers; R. Manning, chief steward ; W. Jackson, quartermaster; three Chinese quarterm*>Bters; and a Chinese crew of 44. She carried as passengers R. Fraser, T. C. Crane, Copeman, Dr Anderson, Captain Fawks, Mesdames Mathias, Loring, Miss Loring, and 15 Chinese. ; Tugs have been sent from Newcastle to the scene of the wreck. Received 9th, 0.40 a.m. An intense sensation has been caused in the city by the loss of the Catterthun, accentuated by the uncertainty as to the fate of the missing people. The weather for the past day or two has been boisterous and an angry sea was running when the steamer left Sydney yesterday. Owing to the isolated part of the coast where the wreck took place very little intelligence is yet to hand. The survivors were very much exhausted when they reached the land and no accounts have been received from them. The vessel must have been somewhat near to the south lighthouse as the keeper did not see her.

A tug, just returned, reports that there is a high sea and no sign of the vessel or boats. She had 81 on biard, all told. Accounts are conflicting as to the number saved, these being variously stated at 22 and 25, but the latter is certainly the limit. Several coastal steamers passed the Seal Rocks during the day and their arrival is anxiously awaited here to-night, in the almost forlorn hope that they may have picked up a boat. The passengers saved, are Dr Copeland (of London), Captain Fawkes (pilot), and Mr Crane, an official of the Eastern Extension Telegraph Company. The spot where the survivors landed is 20 miles from Seal Rocks. Amongst the missing are Mrs Mathias, wife of the captain of a steamer trading in Chinese waters and who was formerly connected with Money Wigram’s Australian steamships; Dr Anderson was the ship’s surgeon, but a young Victorian doctor named Smith joined the ship at the last moment. The hull was insured in London and the general cargo insured for between twenty and thirty thousand pounds. Those chiefly interested are the Derwent and Tamar, Clinton, and Cnina Traders Co.’s There was LlO 800 in specie on board, half of it belonged to the Chinese passengers. The gold was insured. There was one bag of mails from Wellington and two from the Bluff. Received 9th, 1 a.m. The following statement has been obtained from Mr Crane:—“We cleared the Heads at 5.30 hist night, followed by a south-west gale, high broken sea and rain squalls. All went well until 25 past 2 a.m., when the passengers were aroused by a severe shock, q iickly followed by a second. The captain qu. stioned the passengers, telling us we were only struck by sea. Shortly after we were r >used out by order of the captain and told to go on deck. The ship had a strong list to starboard and heavy seas were breaking over her fore and aft. The position was appalling, for the ship was evidently settling fast. The officers and crew had already succeeded in getting out the lifeboats, but the efforts to lower them were greatly impeded by the tremendous seas which continually broke aboard carrying the boats on board again. The port lifeboat was swept off the davits. A noticeable feature was the coolness and discipline of all on board. The captain, chief and second mate, and Captain Fawkes were swept over the bridge, and the same sea smashed the cutter to atoms. The sea was then level with the rails and breaking clean over the poop. The starboard lifeboat was successfully launched, and a moment after the steamer gave a sudden lurch to starboard and disappeared. The crew of the starboard boau subsequently picked uplall the survivors.” Captain Fawkes states that just before the ship disappeared he, with the captain and chief officer, was swept off the bridge. He saw no more of his companions and was 30 minutes in the water before he was rescued. Received 9th, 1.20 a.m. Mr Crane remained in the cabin to within a minute or two of the foundering, then went on the poop and was twenty minutes in the water before he was picked up. Dr Copeman was in the starboard cutter When it was washed away. He clung to a spar and then dropped into the water till picked up by the lifeboat. After examining the wreckage the liteboat proceeded to Charlotte Bay where a trading cutter conveyed them to Cape Hawke. Mr Langfear, who was in charge of the bridge, refuses to make a statement. After striking the steamer continued her course for some distince. It is supposed she struck a sliding blow on the edge of the outer reef of rocks, ripped open her side, swung off at a tangent and went ahead till she filled with water. Off the outer rocks there is a depth of 25 fathoms. The Mararoa which has just (11.20 "p.m) arrived, saw nothing even to indicate that the disaster had occurred.